The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Complete the opening quest 'Unbound' - the intro at Helgen, escaping the dragon attack with either Ralof (Stormcloak) or Hadvar (Imperial). Just play through the tutorial out to Riverwood and it pops. Unmissable if you're playing at all.

Select a Standing Stone blessing. Just after Helgen, on the way to Riverwood, you pass the Guardian Stones - activate any one (Warrior, Mage or Thief) to take its blessing. Any standing stone in Skyrim works, and it feeds Standing Stones.

Complete the early main-quest dungeon 'Bleak Falls Barrow' (fetching the Dragonstone for Farengar in Whiterun). A straightforward first dungeon - grab the Golden Claw side-quest in Riverwood on the way, and you'll also learn your first word of the Unrelenting Force shout at the word wall inside.

Absorb a dragon soul. After the main quest 'Dragon Rising' you fight your first dragon by Whiterun's watchtower - kill any dragon and you automatically absorb its soul (letting you unlock shout words). First of many; feeds Dragon Hunter and Thu'um Master.

Reach Level 5. Comes very quickly just by playing - using any skill levels it up, and skill-ups raise your character level. You'll hit 5 within the first hour or two. First rung to Master.

Complete the main quest 'The Way of the Voice' - climb the 7,000 Steps from Ivarstead to High Hrothgar and meet the Greybeards, who teach you about your Thu'um. Story progression; just follow the main quest after your first dragon kill.

Reach Level 10. More of the same - keep using and training skills. Natural progression on the way to Expert and Master.

Join the College of Winterhold. Travel to Winterhold (far north-east) and pass the entry test on the bridge - cast the simple spell Faralda asks for (she'll even sell it to you). Starts the Mage questline toward Revealing the Unseen and The Eye of Magnus.

Learn all three words of a single shout. Shout words are found at Word Walls in dungeons, but you also need a dragon soul to unlock each. The easiest is Unrelenting Force: you get its first word in Bleak Falls Barrow, the second from the Greybeards during The Way of the Voice, and the third from them right after - three words, one shout. Feeds Thu'um Master.

Join the Companions - Skyrim's warrior guild. Head to Jorrvaskr in Whiterun, speak to Kodlak, and do the intro task (help clear out a bandit fort). Starts the Companions questline toward Blood Oath and Glory of the Dead.

Buy a house. The cheapest is Breezehome in Whiterun (5,000 gold) - become Thane-eligible by helping the Jarl (do a few Whiterun tasks) and buy it from the steward Proventus. Any of the city houses counts.

Acquire a Daedric Artifact - one of the unique items from a Daedric Prince's quest. An easy early one is the Mace of Molag Bal (do 'The House of Horrors' in Markarth), or Azura's Star (the shrine of Azura east of Winterhold). Any Daedric quest reward counts; feeds Oblivion Walker (Oblivion Walker).

Make a smithed item, an enchanted item, and a potion (all three). Use any forge to smith a weapon/armour (a simple iron dagger works), an Arcane Enchanter to enchant something (learn an enchant by disenchanting an item first), and an Alchemy Lab to brew a potion. Easy to do all three in Whiterun early on.

Arrive on Solstheim - the start of the Dragonborn DLC. Once the DLC is active you're attacked by cultists; read the note they drop to start 'Dragonborn', then take the boat from Windhelm's docks (talk to Gjalund) to Raven Rock on Solstheim. Opens up all the Dragonborn content.

Reach Level 25. By now you're deep into questlines and dungeons, so this accrues naturally. Training skills at trainers or crafting (smithing/enchanting/alchemy loops) speeds it up if you want to push toward Master.

Complete the main quest 'Diplomatic Immunity' - infiltrate the Thalmor Embassy party (as a guest, then sneak through) to learn what the Thalmor know about the dragons. A fun stealth/social mission; just follow the main quest after The Way of the Voice. Sets up Alduin's Wall.

Join the Thieves Guild. In Riften, find Brynjolf in the marketplace - he sets you a little theft task, then leads you down into the Ratway to the Guild in the Cistern. Starts the Thieves Guild questline toward Darkness Returns and One with the Shadows.

Discover 100 Locations. Every place you stumble on - towns, camps, ruins, caves, shrines, standing stones - counts. Just explore: wander between quest markers rather than fast-travelling everywhere, and 100 comes naturally over a normal playthrough. One of the game's steady time-sink counts.

Complete 'Awakening' - an early quest of the Dawnguard DLC. After starting Dawnguard (hear the rumour and visit Fort Dawnguard near Riften), you're sent to Dimhollow Crypt, where you free Serana. Just follow the Dawnguard questline; leads toward Beyond Death and Kindred Judgement.

Successfully persuade, bribe, and intimidate (all three) in dialogue. These are the [Persuade]/[Bribe]/[Intimidate] speech options that pop up in conversations - do each successfully at least once across your playthrough. Persuade wants decent Speech (or the right perk), Bribe needs gold, Intimidate is easier with a strong character. You'll get all three naturally as speech checks come up.

Become a member of the Circle - the Companions' inner ring. A few quests into the Companions questline (after Take Up Arms), you're inducted into the Circle and take part in the ritual that makes you a werewolf. Just progress the Companions story; leads to Glory of the Dead.

Get any single skill to 100. The fastest are the crafting skills: Smithing (craft stacks of iron daggers or leather bracers), Enchanting, Alchemy, or Illusion (spam a cheap spell like Muffle). Pick one and grind it - trainers help too. Feeds nothing else directly but it's a quick one with a crafting loop.

Complete the main quest 'Alduin's Wall' - travel to Sky Haven Temple with Delphine and Esbern to read the ancient Blades' wall depicting how the Nords defeated Alduin. Story progression after Diplomatic Immunity; sets up learning Dragonrend.

Complete 'Revealing the Unseen' - a College of Winterhold quest where you delve the ruins of Mzulft to find the Staff of Magnus. Follow the College questline after Gatekeeper; leads to the finale The Eye of Magnus.

Complete 'The Temple of Miraak' - a Dragonborn DLC quest at the temple on Solstheim, where you learn about Miraak, the first Dragonborn, and start freeing Solstheim from his influence. Follow the Dragonborn questline after Outlander; leads toward The Path of Knowledge and At the Summit of Apocrypha.

Join the Stormcloaks or the Imperial Army - pick a side in the civil war. For the Imperials, see General Tullius in Solitude; for the Stormcloaks, see Ulfric in Windhelm. Either works for the achievement (and for War Hero/Hero of Skyrim), so choose whichever you fancy. Do the intro mission to enlist.

Have 100,000 gold at once. A big pile - accrue it by selling loot (a crafting-and-sell loop, e.g. smithing gear or brewing high-value potions, makes gold fast), completing quests, and not spending. Bank it up until you're holding 100k. Feeds naturally alongside Master Criminal-style wealth play.

Complete 50 Misc Objectives - the little unmarked tasks that pile up in the 'Miscellaneous' section of your quest log (fetch this, deliver that, bounty jobs, radiant errands). They're everywhere; just keep doing the small favours NPCs ask, and bounty notes from inns are an easy source. 50 accrues over a full playthrough.

Complete 'The Eye of Magnus' - the finale of the College of Winterhold questline, defeating Ancano and securing the Eye. Follow the College quests through after Revealing the Unseen; completing it makes you Arch-Mage.

Buy a plot of land - a Hearthfire DLC feature. Become Thane of (or do the steward's favour in) Falkreath, Hjaalmarch (Morthal) or the Pale (Dawnstar), then buy their plot of land from the steward for 5,000 gold. That plot is where you build a house for Master Architect. Feeds Land Baron.

Adopt a child - a Hearthfire feature. You need a home with a child's bed and container (build one in a Hearthfire house, or buy the upgrade for a city house). Then adopt from Honorhall Orphanage in Riften, or take in one of the several homeless children in the cities. Furnish a kid's bedroom first, then talk to a child.

Join the Dark Brotherhood - the assassins' guild. Trigger it by killing Grelod the Kind at Honorhall Orphanage in Riften (or sleep after hearing the rumour of Aventus Aretino), then answer the Brotherhood's summons and pass Astrid's test. Starts the questline toward Bound Until Death and Hail Sithis!.

Complete the main quest 'Elder Knowledge' - retrieve an Elder Scroll (from the Dwemer ruin of Blackreach, via the College) so you can read Alduin's Wall and learn the Dragonrend shout. Follow the main quest after Alduin's Wall; leads to Beyond Death... (actually to Alduin's defeat at the Throat of the World).

Clear 50 dungeons - i.e. fully clear 50 locations (the map marker changes to 'cleared' once you've beaten the boss/reached the end). Caves, barrows, forts, Dwemer ruins all count. Just dungeon-dive as you explore and quest; 50 adds up steadily. Overlaps heavily with Explorer.

Complete 'The Path of Knowledge' - a Dragonborn quest where you journey into the realm of Apocrypha (Hermaeus Mora's plane) via a Black Book to confront Miraak's influence. Follow the Dragonborn questline after The Temple of Miraak; leads to the finale At the Summit of Apocrypha.

Absorb 20 dragon souls - i.e. kill 20 dragons. Once the main quest gets going, dragons attack at random across Skyrim and roost at word walls and dragon lairs; every kill gives a soul. 20 accrues naturally as you play, and each soul lets you unlock a shout word (feeding Thu'um Master).

Chop wood, mine ore, and cook food (all three). Use a wood-chopping block (found at mills/lumber camps), swing a pickaxe at an ore vein (or in any mine), and use a cooking pot/spit to cook a recipe. Riverwood has all three close together early on.

Complete 'Beyond Death' - a late Dawnguard quest where you enter the Soul Cairn (with Serana) to retrieve an Elder Scroll. Follow the Dawnguard questline after Awakening; leads to the finale Kindred Judgement.

Complete 10 side quests - the proper named 'Side Quests' in your log (distinct from the little Hero of the People Misc objectives). Town questlines, the Daedric quests, and one-off adventures all count. You'll clear 10 easily just by helping people and following interesting leads around Skyrim.

Escape from jail. Get arrested (commit a crime in front of a guard and choose to go to jail rather than pay the fine), then break out - pick the lock on your cell, or find the loose gate/escape route each hold's jail has. Riften's jail has an easy escape tunnel. A quick, deliberate one.

Complete 'At the Summit of Apocrypha' - the finale of the Dragonborn questline, where you return to Apocrypha and defeat Miraak. Follow the Dragonborn story through after The Path of Knowledge. Beating Miraak lets you claim his dragon-souls power and finishes the DLC's main arc.

Complete 'Dragonslayer' - the final quest of the main story, where you journey to Sovngarde and defeat Alduin the World-Eater once and for all. The end of the main questline; follow it through after The Fallen. The big one.

Complete 'Glory of the Dead' - the finale of the Companions questline, avenging Kodlak and completing the ritual at Ysgramor's Tomb (where you can cure your lycanthropy). Follow the Companions quests through after Blood Oath; completing it makes you Harbinger.

Complete the main quest 'The Fallen' - you trap a dragon (Odahviing) in Dragonsreach to learn the way to Alduin's portal to Sovngarde. Story progression after Elder Knowledge; the penultimate main-quest step before Dragonslayer.

Complete 'Bound Until Death' - a Dark Brotherhood quest where you assassinate the Emperor's decoy at a wedding in Solitude (a fun open-ended kill - poison the food, drop a statue on her, whatever). Follow the Brotherhood questline after With Friends Like These…; leads to the finale Hail Sithis!.

Complete 'Kindred Judgment' - the finale of the Dawnguard questline, the showdown with Lord Harkon over the Tyranny of the Sun. Follow the Dawnguard story through after Beyond Death. Completing it wraps up the vampire/Dawnguard arc.

Reach Level 50 - the top milestone. By now you're a long way in; to push the last stretch, lean on crafting skills (Smithing/Enchanting/Alchemy loops level fast) and trainers. There's no level cap, so 50 is very doable over a full playthrough. The end of the Apprentice→Adept→Expert→here ladder.

Build three wings on a house - a Hearthfire task. On a plot of land (Landowner), build the small starter house, then from the Drafting Table add three wings (e.g. the main hall plus two of: bedrooms, armoury, greenhouse, kitchen, etc.). Gather the logs, stone, clay, iron fittings and build out three additions.

Get married. Wear an Amulet of Mara (buy one from Maramal at the Temple of Mara in Riften - talk to him first about marriage), then speak to an eligible NPC who's interested and choose the marriage dialogue. Arrange the wedding at the Temple of Mara. Plenty of NPCs are marriageable regardless of gender.

Read 50 Skill Books - the books scattered everywhere that give a one-off point in a skill (each unique title only counts once). You'll read plenty just by picking up and reading books as you loot dungeons and homes. To target them, grab known skill-book titles from stores and shelves; 50 accrues over a thorough playthrough.

Capture Fort Sungard or Fort Greenwall - a mid civil-war battle. Once you've joined a side (Taking Sides) and progressed the war questline, you're sent to assault forts; taking either of these two (Sungard is in the Reach, Greenwall in the Rift) pops this. Just follow the civil-war quests. Works for either faction.

Complete 'Darkness Returns' - a Thieves Guild quest where you restore the Skeleton Key to the Twilight Sepulcher (Nocturnal's shrine), gaining the Nightingale... this is part of the Nightingale/Karliah arc. Follow the Thieves Guild questline after Taking Care of Business; leads toward One with the Shadows.

Complete 'Hail Sithis!' - the finale of the Dark Brotherhood questline, where you assassinate the Emperor himself aboard his ship. Follow the Brotherhood story through after Bound Until Death. Completing it makes you the Brotherhood's Listener.

Capture Solitude or Windhelm - the enemy capital, i.e. the final battle of the civil war. Complete your chosen side's war questline (Taking Sides) through to the assault on the opposing capital (Stormcloaks take Solitude; Imperials take Windhelm). Winning the war pops this.

Learn 20 shouts - i.e. learn at least one word of 20 different shouts. Shout words are on Word Walls in dungeons, at dragon lairs, and given by quests (the Greybeards, the main quest, DLC). Just explore and quest; word walls are everywhere. Note you only need to learn the word (not unlock it with a soul) for this count.

Change your face - use the Face Sculptor. Once available (the Ragged Flagon in Riften's Ratway has Galathil the Face Sculptor - accessible via the Thieves Guild, or just reach her), pay her 1,000 gold to re-open the character creator and alter your appearance. One makeover and it pops.

Learn all 3 words of Dragon Aspect - a powerful Dragonborn shout. Its three words are found in the dungeon at the end of the 'Dragonborn' questline stretch (in the Temple of Miraak area / on Solstheim's Bloodskal-style paths - specifically the shout is taught during the Solstheim main story). Progress the Dragonborn questline and hit all three word walls for it.

Own a house in Raven Rock (on Solstheim) - a Dragonborn feature. Complete the Raven Rock quest 'Served Cold' (help Councillor Morvayn), which unlocks Severin Manor as your reward - a free, fully-furnished house in Raven Rock. Do that quest chain and the manor is yours.

Discover 30 locations on Solstheim (the Dragonborn island). Just explore Solstheim thoroughly as you do the DLC - it's a fairly compact island, so wandering between the ashy ruins, camps and barrows racks up 30 map markers without much effort.

Find 13 Standing Stones - the large magical stones dotted across Skyrim that grant a blessing (the Warrior, Thief, Mage, Lover, Lady, Steed, Atronach, etc.). Just discovering each on the map counts; you don't have to activate them. They're scattered everywhere, so this comes with exploration (see Explorer). There are 13 to find.

Complete 'Lost to the Ages' - a Dawnguard sidequest hunting the lost Aetherium Forge. You follow Katria's ghost, gather the four Aetherium Shards from Dwemer ruins, and forge a unique reward (a crown, armour or shield). Pick up the book 'The Aetherium Wars' to start it; a great standalone quest.

Learn all three words of Soul Tear - a Dawnguard shout taught to you by Durnehviir, the undead dragon you meet in the Soul Cairn during Beyond Death. After summoning Durnehviir (you learn the Summon Durnehviir shout there), he teaches you a word of Soul Tear each time you call him - summon him three times to learn all three words.

Pick 50 locks and 50 pockets (both counts). Locks are everywhere - practise on every chest and door you find. Pickpocketing 50 needs the sneak-and-steal on NPCs; the Thieves Guild questline throws plenty your way, and you can pickpocket the same sleeping NPC repeatedly (take gold, they don't notice) to rack it up fast. Both counters run independently.

Learn the secrets of 5 Black Books - a Dragonborn collectible hunt. Black Books teleport you into Apocrypha, where reading through to the end grants a permanent power. Two are found during the Dragonborn main quest; the other five are hidden in Solstheim's Dwemer ruins and dungeons. Read through 5 of the seven (finishing each Apocrypha chapter) for this.

Use the special power of Auriel's Bow - a Dawnguard item. You obtain the bow at the climax of the Dawnguard main quest (Forgotten Vale / Touching the Sky). Its power: shoot a Sunhallowed or Bloodcursed Elven arrow into the sun (fire a Sunhallowed arrow skyward on a clear day) to trigger the effect. Craft the special arrows with Knight-Paladin Gelebor, then fire one at the sun.

Buy three plots of land - the Hearthfire milestone. There are exactly three buildable plots: Lakeview Manor (Falkreath), Windstad Manor (Hjaalmarch/Morthal) and Heljarchen Hall (the Pale/Dawnstar). Do each hold's favour to unlock the purchase, then buy all three plots (5,000 gold each) from their stewards. Sets up Master Architect.

Defeat a Legendary Dragon - the toughest dragon tier, which only starts appearing at very high level (roughly level 78+, though tougher dragon tiers scale in as you level). Just keep levelling and killing the random dragons; once you're high enough, Legendary Dragons spawn and one kill pops this. A strong character and good gear make the fight manageable.

Return the Thieves Guild to its former glory. Beyond the main Guild questline, complete the radiant 'city influence' jobs (Reputation quests) in all four major cities - Whiterun, Markarth, Solitude and Windhelm - to restore the Guild's reach. Doing those (plus finishing the main questline) triggers this. Talk to Delvin/Vex for the extra jobs.

Craft an item out of Stalhrim - the Dragonborn ice-like material. First learn to work it by completing the quest 'A New Source of Stalhrim' (help Deor in Skaal Village solve a smith's disappearance), then mine Stalhrim deposits on Solstheim and craft any Stalhrim weapon or armour at a forge (you need the Ebony Smithing perk). One crafted item does it.

Acquire 11 vampire perks - i.e. fill out the Vampire Lord perk tree (a Dawnguard feature). Become a Vampire Lord (side with Harkon, or have Serana turn you), then feed on victims as a Vampire Lord to earn perk points and spend 11 in the tree. You can be a werewolf too across a save, so this doesn't lock out Werewolf Mastered - just do them at different times.

Acquire 11 werewolf perks - fill out the Werewolf perk tree (unlocked via Dawnguard). Become a werewolf through the Companions (Blood Oath), then feed on the corpses of enemies you kill in Beast Form to earn perk points, and spend 11 in the tree. Pairs with Vampire Mastered - you can hold both trees across one playthrough by curing and re-contracting.

Tame and ride 5 dragons - a Dragonborn feature. After defeating Miraak you can learn the Bend Will shout (its three words are taught during the Dragonborn main quest at the Word Wall on the Summit / from Hermaeus Mora). Fully-worded Bend Will lets you shout at a landed dragon to tame and ride it. Do that to 5 different dragons across your travels.

Build three houses - the big Hearthfire milestone. Buy all three plots (Land Baron) and build a house on each: Lakeview Manor, Windstad Manor and Heljarchen Hall. You just need the main house built on all three plots (not fully expanded). A hefty materials grind - stock up on logs, stone, clay and iron. See also Architect.

Have a bounty of 1,000 gold in all nine holds at once. Commit crimes (assault, theft, murder) in front of guards in each of Skyrim's nine holds until each hold's bounty is 1,000+ - and don't pay any of them off. Easy way: pickpocket-fail or attack a townsperson in each city and flee. You need all nine active simultaneously, so tour the holds racking up bounties.

Collect 15 Daedric Artifacts - the game's biggest collect-all. Each comes from a Daedric Prince's quest (there are 15+ available across the base game, so you don't need literally every one, just 15). Work through the Daedric quests - Mehrunes' Razor, the Mace of Molag Bal, the Skull of Corruption, Azura's Star, the Ebony Blade, Volendrung, etc. A couple are mutually exclusive per playthrough, but there are more than enough to reach 15. The platinum-tier completionist grind; builds on Daedric Influence.